Blog: The Light of Aurora

The Surprising Ways Waldorf Education Prepared my Children for Life (and why it’s worth the tuition money)

00:00 AM - July 21, 2021

First, let me dispel a myth. There is no school utopia, and despite the brilliance of our children, I have yet to experience the heavens opening when my child arrives at a new place – a high school, a college, the doorstep of a tutor, a piano teacher, or an athletic coach.

But I can tell you that in our educational culture today, which emphasizes a one- size-fits-all approach and seemingly prioritizes math and reading as both the foundation and the pinnacle of critical thinking skills, I have seen the benefit of another approach. One that has more dimensions and that believes we all have more dimensions.

The Waldorf educational approach incorporates so many wonderful skills in the practical, musical, and visual arts – and there doesn’t come another time in traditional education for these skills to be introduced.

And, although the heavens didn’t open – people noticed when my children showed up with more than math and reading skills. When my son went to City Honors High School, I received a phone call at home from the music teacher (at the time I didn’t realize how unusual that was, given that I was happily accustomed to the accessibility of the teachers at AWS); the teacher left a long message on my message machine that he had never heard a high school boy play with his voice the way my son did while he tried to harmonize with the other students.

Did my son join the chorus, start a band, or become a famous singer? No. That’s not the point. But music was in his life – and he still sings, loves music, played music, and sang with his college friends (some of which he recorded for our listening pleasure), and is enjoying learning the guitar.

As a high school athlete, he played on hockey and lacrosse teams from different neighborhoods – city-wide teams, teams from the Riverside neighborhood, teams from his high school. Mostly, he got along with everyone (and was even captain of two very different teams), but even in the face of a challenging personality, he knew how to both hold his own and work with the other person. He often resolved disputes between players.

To balance out the high school academics, he wanted to take painting lessons. When his clothes ripped, he sewed the rips into pockets; when we let him paint his own room, there were lots of interesting colors, stencils, carvings, chalkboard paint, and built-in cubbies. Did he become a professional athlete, mediator, painter, tailor, or builder? No. That’s not the point. But those skills and ways of seeing the world are still in his life. (And yes, those skills helped him with college).

When my daughter applied to Buffalo Seminary, they were interested in her art; she put together a portfolio of her artwork from AWS, and she was lucky enough to get an art scholarship.

As a toddler, she was shy and hid behind my skirt. When she became a young teenager, I started to get compliments from other adults – she was polite, looked them in the eye, was poised and sure-footed. Other parents started asking where she went to school.

After starting high school, she was not afraid to try out for the high school basketball team and ultimately became the captain. She was fierce on the courts – but always a good sport. From the time she was young, she had a way – a strong intuitive, and perceptive gift – with horses and excelled in competition. She was tough but gentle in competition, attentive to detail, and so brave – even in the face of dramatic disappointment. In high school, she took an independent study in art and learned to love writing.

After her first year in college, I asked her what stays with her from her Waldorf education? She said she thinks she is more athletic and fit, tried more things, and has a lot of skills – especially with tools – that most girls don’t have. She is grateful.

Now, will she become a professional artist, basketball player, horsewoman, or writer? I don’t know, probably not (well, definitely not a pro-basketball player) – but that’s not the point. (And yes, all those skills helped her in college).

The point is about living a fuller life. The point is about shining the light on the whole person and savoring the gifts of that experience. I didn’t notice a time in my children’s high school education when there was a knitting class offered, a woodworking class, accessible orchestra practices, or the option to participate in any and all athletic teams; I didn’t notice regular painting periods or relationships with teachers who cared deeply about the students over multiple years and always chose to see the best in them.

If we think about education as a pyramid, then we want to build as wide a foundation as possible early in their school years– one that includes not just the narrow focus of traditional academics.

A sailing instructor once mentioned to me in passing that both my children had the ability to envision a sail filled with air – a full sail, a sail that would take them places. This envisioning is what we are giving our children when we give them a Waldorf education—envisioning many dimensions of life, envisioning many abilities, many talents, many different types of people, many different ways to solve problems. And although it may seem like we have so much time to give our children all of that – we really don’t. And grades 1-8 at AWS is the perfect and maybe only place in Western New York to give our children the gift of envisioning.